"They don't want Argentina to win." Scaloni hits back hard at accusations of referee bias in Argentina's favor

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni addressed the ongoing claims of alleged biased refereeing in favor of the reigning world champions ahead of their 2026 World Cup quarter-final clash against Switzerland.

At a press conference, the Albiceleste boss categorically rejected all accusations that his side benefits from refereeing decisions.

That simply doesn't exist. Back in 1986, people were saying Argentina was being helped. So this is nothing new. There are people who don't want Argentina to win, and we use that as extra motivation for the squad. Nowadays, with VAR, it's almost impossible to get any sort of help. There's no room for double interpretations here. If a player gets stepped on, it's a foul. The rules are clear and they apply to everyone equally. I think these kinds of conversations are mostly a social media phenomenon, where even the smallest incidents get blown out of proportion," Scaloni stated.

• Read also: Who will reach the World Cup semi-finals? Prediction: Argentina vs Switzerland – July 12, 2026

Let's recall, Argentina will face Switzerland in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals. The winner of this encounter will continue the fight for a spot in the tournament's final against the winner of Norway vs England.